The Lord remembered me....

Notes from my quiet time....

Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad…..And the Lord remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son….1 Samuel: 1-20

If you read my post from yesterday, I shared how much I’ve learned about wisdom and godliness through the things I’ve suffered (at my own hand, mind you).  I’m so grateful for God’s saving Grace.  But if we are not careful, when we look back over the mistakes we’ve made, we can often be overcome with regret, condemnation, guilt, shame and sadness.  But there is another side to my story…yours too.  I can remember for so long I thought God had forgotten me.  I had made so many mistakes and disappointed him so many times that I thought His purpose and plan for my life was surely cancelled.  I mean really, if you only knew of the dumb, stupid things I did. I was certain there was no way I could ever become or have what God promised. For so long I seemed to be struggling just to find myself, let alone my purpose. And then the Lord remembered me….

Despite my shortcomings, failures, disobedience, rebellion and irresponsible decision making, He remembered His promise to me.  A promised filled with love and significance (purpose). It’s what I had been searching for all along outside of Him but kept coming up empty.  I spent so much wasted time looking for what He had already prepared for me.  It didn’t happen right away. Oh no, He allowed me to reap the consequences of those decisions. (I’m still very much reaping some of them.) But despite that, in due time, He blessed me.  Although I was unfaithful, He remained faithful all the while.  Despite my being angry with Him, He proved how much He loves me.  And yes despite all the failed relationships with men, He blessed me with a husband who absolutely loves me. Despite the broken friendships, He blessed me to know, love and TRUST some wonderful women and call them friend.  Despite my turning away from Him and saying “I’m done with church!” He blessed me to be a part of a church with people who love Him and who love me.  Oh He blessed me alright.  He reaffirmed His great love for me.  He reaffirmed HIMSELF to me and ME to Him.  He remembered me.  And for that, I am humbled and grateful.

So I encourage you today not to focus on all the bad stuff you’ve done to the point of guilt or shame. Sure, you’ve messed up a time or two. Or if you’re like me, a time or twenty.  Despite all of that, He has not forgotten you or cancelled His promise to you.  I’m sure right now you’re thinking about all of those “unanswered” prayers you’ve prayed. The truth is that you’re not even capable of praying for what He has prepared for you.  But even despite that, He wants you to know that He has heard you. Know that He loves you. Know that it is His great pleasure to bless you.  You just continue doing your part by giving Him all of yourself in mind, heart, spirit and obedience.  Don’t believe the enemy’s lies that God is not listening. Oh yes He is and He has heard you.  Believe it!

After Hannah prayed, the priest said to her, “Go in peace and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”  That’s why Hannah went away and her face was no longer sad.  She believed the Lord had heard her. And in due time, she received the promise.

Do you believe your God has heard you? Can you trust that in due time, He will remember you?  Not that He has forgotten but that He has a perfectly divine plan to bless you in His time.  Can you believe that? Then, sister, go in peace. Your due time is coming.

All my love,

Nicole

If I had only known then...



Proverbs 2:6-11


For the LORD gives wisdom: out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding; He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.  He keeps the paths of judgment and preserves the way of his saints. Then shall you understand righteousness and judgment and equity yea every good path. When wisdom enters into your heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto your soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.

How many times have you said, “If I had only known then what I know now....” 

If you are anything like me you probably have said it more times than you can even count.  There are so many things that I’ve learned over the years, a lot of them very painfully, and I often wish I could go back to my late teens and early twenties with the knowledge that I have today. I would avoid so many horrible decisions, situations, and people.  Sigh.  Thank God for His saving Grace.

This passage of scripture clearly tells us that the knowledge we need is actually stored up for us.  We don’t have to learn it the hard way.  God provides knowledge and wisdom so that we don’t have to look back and say, “If I had only known that he would treat me so bad, I would have never given him my number.”  Can anybody relate? :) The bible teaches us that God actually “lays up” sound wisdom for us. He preserves our way.  That means He protects it and carefully looks after it. He speaks to us so that we can avoid all the hell that makes us look back and realize how dumb we were.  He GIVES wisdom.    He GIVES it.  So why don’t we walk in it as we should? Why do we have so many “if only I had known” experiences?  It’s simple: choice.

While God speaks wisdom, lays up sound judgment and keeps His divine path for us, we must choose to walk in it.  Sure, that sounds easy enough but for all of us that choice requires sacrifice and self-denial.  And that’s often wrapped in discomfort and waiting.  Sister, there is a price for the fruits of wisdom. You must be willing to exchange your agenda for His. You must wait when you want to rush. You must say “no” even when that dude is fine and you are tired of being by yourself. You must restrain even when you want to engage in what seems like the simplest of pleasures that you know are not a part of His will for your life.  You must choose wisdom.

I love how this passage ends, and I see it so plainly in my own life. There are things that I would NEVER do again….people with whom I would NEVER be involved again….places I would NEVER go again. Why? Because, now I understand.  The things I’ve learned over the years were hard and tough but the understanding I received was invaluable and it shapes my behavior and choices today. Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee. Now that I have learned who I am in God, I no longer tolerate anything less than His best in my life from anyone or anything.  Now that I understand that mistreating someone else is not okay just because I’ve been hurt, I am no longer careless with someone else’s heart.  And when I learned that whatever I sow, that shall I also reap, I learned to be careful what I sow and to take responsibility for my actions when it’s reaping season.  Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.

So I’d be interested to hear from some of you.  What are some things that you look back and think “If I had only known then what I know now, I would never have ___________.”  Share some things that you’ve learned the hard way that have changed your behavior for the better.  We can all get encouragement from your testimony.

I can’t wait to hear from you!

Nicole

Spiritual Maturity

Now there’s a phrase that’s often thrown about like a child’s toy. However, like all spiritual concepts and principles, we must take a moment to understand what this phrase really means, practically speaking. It’s often mistaken to represent the length of time someone has been a Christian or a person’s age, neither of which are real indicators of maturity. Instead, spiritual maturity is a result of continuous understanding, application and obedience to the Word of God characterized by progressive, continuous and authentic life changes for the better. Spiritual maturity is not just “change we can believe in,” it is change we can see in our everyday lives. Changes in habits, conversation, associations and attitudes that are a result of a real process of making mistakes, learning from them, growing, and getting better everyday. It is the process of “growing up” as a

Christian.

Several weeks ago, my husband spoke about the “stunted growth” of many Christians. He explained to us that much like the natural process of growth, a believer’s walk with God requires time, attention and nourishment to flourish. Without it, your development as a believer is stunted such that while you may be saved and participating in church/religious activities, you will fail to see true growth and development (change) in your everyday life. The apostle Paul describes this as ever learning but never coming into the knowledge of the truth. And what is that truth? That real spiritual maturity is a

demonstration of the Word of God at work in your life…in your home, in your money, in your heart, in your mind, in your relationships…in YOU. Spiritual maturity happens as a result of on-going experiences with God that result in your willing obedience to Him.

 

Now, it must be said again that spiritual maturity is a process. It is not something that we reach at some crowning point in our lives and then rest there. On the contrary, spiritual maturity is a state of constant growing and changing. A woman who is spiritually mature is always making application of the Word in her life and thus she is always getting better. So as you take time to evaluate your progress in spiritual maturity, I want to leave you with a few ways spiritual maturity shows up in the life of the believer. My husband shared these in his message, and I encourage you to take some time to evaluate yourself in these areas and/or asked a trusted friend to give you honest feedback.

• Love – the ability to demonstrate goodwill, sincerity, care and pure motives towards others, with no conditions or selfish motives
• Stability of mind – unwavering in salvation and spiritual commitments; purpose and obedience driven instead of pleasure and emotional driven; focused on the goals and objectives at hand while managing distractions and fleshly desires
• Self control – self management; the ability to do what is right in the face of temptation; the ability to respond to situations with clarity and control instead of react to situations with emotions
• Wisdom – the ability to make sound, good and timely decisions, led by God, while minimizing the influence of flesh and emotions. The ability to learn from mistakes without repeating them over and over. The understanding of when to get counsel from a trusted source. The ability to have something to say without saying it.
• Selflessness –committed to the principle that life and godliness is centrally concerned with aspiring to be a blessing; focused on giving rather than receiving
• Practical Application of the Word – focused and determined on gaining understanding and knowledge of the Word for the primary purpose of becoming a doer and applier rather than a hearer alone

While these aren't the only areas spiritual maturity manifests itself, this is a good way to know if you're on the right track. Have a wonderful day!

All my love,

Nicole